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Arsenal’s Thierry Henry is undoubtedly a true Premier League great and there is no questioning him being a legendary figure at the club. The striker was the club’s best player at a time when Arsene Wenger’s side were the best in the country and he helped make his team even better.
Among the great forwards to play in the famous red and white shirt, Henry managed to surpass the likes of Ian Wright and Cliff Bastin in terms of goals scored. The Frenchman is Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer, with a total of 228 goals and he scored more than 30 goals in each of his last five seasons with the club.
He was the darling of the Arsenal faithful and a savior who was called upon often, as he possessed the ability to turn things around at any given point in the game.
Outside the Emirates Stadium, a statue of the striker was erected in 2011 to commemorate his famous goal against their fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur back in the 2002/03 season – with Henry resting upright on his knees and with the poise of a ballet dancer.
The statue is testament to Henry’s glittering career but his greatest legacy at the club is not defined by silverware or a statue but can be seen in the way centre-forwards have developed across the world
High level of consistency and physical fitness
Henry arrived in the Premier League as a 20-year-old winger but he altered the role of the striker forever over the course of his stay in England. He was brought to Arsenal by Wenger from Juventus, having previously struggled to adapt to life in Turin.
Wenger had given Henry his professional debut at Monaco, where he plied his trade during the early stages of his managerial career and he was convinced that Henry was better suited to English football.
Despite failing to meet the expectations in his first eight appearances for the Gunners, Le Professeur soon transformed the speedy winger into one of the most lethal finishers the Premier League has ever witnessed. Wenger once praised Henry for his ‘physical talent, technical ability, remarkable intelligence and great passion for the game’ and the French coach was spot on with his analysis.
His faith in Henry was handsomely rewarded as the former Monaco forward was seen running with the ball, picking out pinpoint passes, breaking opposition’s ankles with his dazzling footwork and gliding the ball past the goalkeepers with ease in England’s top-flight.
As we all know, the Premier League is one of the most physically demanding and competitive leagues across Europe. No doubt, the Frenchman was gifted with remarkable talent but to succeed in a place like England, you need to have a strong, towering presence up front especially when are you deployed in the No.9 role.
It didn’t seem to be much of an obstacle for Henry as he was often considered physically intimidating by the Premier League defenders. Henry’s fellow Gunner Ray Parlour was quoted as saying, “He always had so much talent but he improved so much. He was an athlete as well – 6’1”, 6’2” but he could run once he got into his stride. He was an absolutely fantastic player. But his finishing – that was his main strength.”
Those physical qualities set him apart from his goalscoring rivals Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alan Shearer and Michael Owen, who were all very good instinctive strikers and goal poachers.
During his eight seasons with the North London club, Henry reached double figures for goals in each season, which showed how consistent he was. His level of consistency was partly down to the reliability of his fitness and the extraordinary athlete that he was.
This is evident by Shearer’s failure to reach double figures in three of his 10 seasons at Newcastle United while Chelsea’s Didier Drogba struggled to reach that mark in three of his eight seasons at Stamford Bridge during his first spell with the club.
Henry changed the way strikers were thought of in England
Gone are the days when a manager would simply ask the striker to poach goals or become a fox in the box, bundling goals in by hook or by crook. Henry set the benchmark and revolutionized the way strikers were thought of in the Premier League, and in a way, changed English football for good.
The Frenchman’s breathtaking displays in the past prompted managers to search in vain for ‘one of their own’ and it is now compulsory to contribute much more than just scoring tap-ins or headers if one wants to thrive in the striker’s role at Champions League level.
Henry had everything in his locker – raw pace, skill, intelligent decision making, sublime touch and a great finish. He showed that the position was about more than just converting crosses put into the six-yard box. The World Cup winner brought a certain class and work ethic to the role of the striker without compromising on his effectiveness.
The Frenchman inspired a generation of stirkers single-handedly and his impact on the Premier League should never be understated. Arsenal’s great Henry was not only the best, but the most important striker the English top-flight has ever seen.
